ARTICLES ABOUT EXTRA BASES BY DATE - PAGE 4

The Blue Mountain League playoffs officially begin next week, but they unofficially began Tuesday night in Egypt. In a game with postseason atmosphere and implications, Banko's rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to post an emotional 6-5 victory over defending BML champ Martins Creek. Over 100 fans watched as Banko's (26-8) clinched one of the top two spots in the BML regular season race, and most importantly, the first-round playoff bye that comes with it. Tim Silfies' two-run single capped a three-run rally in the fifth inning which put the Orioles ahead 5-3 and then Andy Pitsilos capped a 4-for-4 night with an RBI triple in the sixth which proved critical since Martins Creek rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh.

May Days and some cruel Parent-al abuse were the focal points of the Phillies' disturbing 5-0 loss to the Dodgers Thursday afternoon. Fresh off setting a club record for April losses (15), the last-place Phillies got off to a wobbly start in May. There are real reasons for bona fide "May Day! May Day!" distress signals to be sent out. The Phillies are 3-9 at home (worst in the majors) and ready to begin a three-game series in the Pitcher's Nightmare that is Coors Field, Denver, Colo.

Until it ran into Methacton, Quakertown was having a pretty good week. But the Warriors' quick bats and sturdy defense lifted them past the Panthers 9-4 in a Suburban One American Conference game Friday. Quakertown's week had been eventful prior to Friday. On Monday the team rapped 17 hits, including five by Todd Schulberger, to outlast Upper Merion 19-13. And on Wednesday the Panthers rebounded from a 3-0 deficit in the first inning to beat Wissahickon 7-4. In that game, pitcher Ryan Quay overcame the jittery first to halt the Trojans.

Don't expect anyone associated with Northampton's American Legion baseball program to admit it, but the last thing they probably wanted to do in the state tournament was face host Boyertown, on its home turf, with the Bears on the brink of elimination -- and a year after ending their season in the Region II tournament. Unfortunately, a 12-inning loss Wednesday left the Orange Crush in just that situation, and yesterday Northampton paid the price, falling to the fired-up Bears 14-12 in an old-fashioned donneybrook at Bear Stadium to see its season end two days shy of a return trip to a national regional.

Rivals Emmaus and Parkland entered yesterday's East Penn Conference game at Emmaus Community Park searching for answers. While Emmaus head coach Mike Mihalik got the kind of response he was looking for, Parkland's Dan Waelchli was left still scratching his head after a 14-4, six-inning defeat. Emmaus (12-1, 2-1), the EPC first-half champ, was wondering if it could rebound following its first lost of the season Wednesday to Whitehall. "They reacted the way we hoped they would.

Instead of showcasing a collection of ace pitchers, the opening day of the 1995 American Legion State Baseball Championships kicked off with a smattering of No. 3 and 4 starters. Teams had used up their best pitchers in trying to reach the Quakertown Memorial Park Stadium draw. Only the host team, Quakertown, had the chance to offer its best. With a fortnight off since losing in the Bux-Mont League playoffs, Quakertown had every opportunity to carefully select its rotation. Then on Tuesday, 15-year-old Joe O'Rourke trotted to the mound against veteran club Wilkes-Barre.

Pittsburgh starting pitcher John Ericks was cruising along quite nicely through the first six innings of yesterday afternoon's Businessperson's Special. Then Lenny Dykstra came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning with his team down a run and started a four-run rally which helped lift the Phillies to a 6-4 victory. And while the Phils should have been celebrating a three-game sweep of the Pirates, their fourth win in a row and the fact they were out of the sweltering heat, they weren't ... for good reason.

Guys like Bob Osipower make watching American Legion baseball enjoyable, even on days when the heat and humidity make sitting in the stands a two-hour stay in the sauna. Osipower is a 17-year-old infielder for the Silver Creek Orioles, a team which loses more often than it wins in Bux-Mont League play. This is his second year of Legion ball, and he maintains one more year of eligibility. About a year ago, I wrote something about how Silver Creek was on the cusp of contention after having been a Bux-Mont doormat for several summers.

After four errorless games, the Quakertown Blazers made a costly one last night. A dropped ball in the ninth inning allowed the winning run to score as the Jersey Pilots edged Quakertown 4-3 at Memorial Park Stadium. The loss was Quakertown's third by one run in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League this season. And it really wasn't due to a lack of hitting this time. The Blazers tied the game 3-3 in the eighth but couldn't hold it in the ninth. The Pilots' Thomas Johnson singled and stole second, then broke for third on Larry Kleinz's bunt.

Both Reading and Portland roared through the first month of the Eastern League season threatening to make a shambles out of their respective divisional races. While the Phillies have retreated a bit toward the pack in the Southern Division, the high-flying Sea Dogs continue to sprint away from their Northern Division followers, fueled by efforts such as last night's 16-3 pounding of the Phillies at Municipal Stadium. Portland (26-7), with the best record in the minor leagues, ripped a club-record 20 hits --including a record-tying four homers among eight extra bases belts -- as they stretched their lead over idle New Haven to nine games.